


Fake It Til Ya Make It

by craptaincold



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rated T for possible later chapters, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, assuming i don't wimp out and decide not to go that far, barry teases cisco a lot too, everyone has a crush on cisco lmao, len and lisa tease hartley a lot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-03
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-29 04:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7669474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/craptaincold/pseuds/craptaincold
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I told Dante I had a boyfriend, and so he told our mom, and now she wants me to bring him home so she can meet him, and I’m sure you know what the issue is there, ‘cause I don’t actually have a boyfriend.  So, anyway, I was venting to Hartley about it, and he just stepped up and said that he’d be my date, and it’s just?  Really stressful?  I mean, I already have to deal with him enough hanging around here lately, and now I have to spend an entire Saturday with him…”</p><p>“Wait, wait.  Why did you tell Dante you have a boyfriend in the first place?”</p><p>“He was makin’ fun of me, dude!  Said I’d always be single ‘cause no one wants to date a boy with hair like mine and all this stuff, so I might have accidentally just… word vomited and said I have a boyfriend.  And now I’m stuck with Pied Pendejo of all people as a fake date.”  He groaned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to r--amon for letting me spam him with ideas for this at odd hours of the day lmao luv u

“You told Mamá WHAT?!” Cisco practically screamed into the phone.  
  
“I told her you have a boyfriend. That’s what you told me. Why does it matter? It’s not like she really cares,” Dante replied from the other end, clearly not understanding Cisco’s panic.  
  
“Dios mío, Dante! Of course she cares! Or did you forget that whole fiasco at Christmas when I came out a few years ago? Oh, man… And if Papá finds out…”  
  
“He’s going to find out soon. Mamá is insisting you bring your boyfriend home for dinner now.”  
  
“Ohhhh, my god. Dante. Why would you tell her?! This is a disaster. Can you tell her no? That I’m busy for the next like, ten thousand years?”  
  
“Don’t think she’d buy that one,” Dante scoffed a laugh, quietly amused.  
  
“Well, can you tell her no? Please? Please, please tell her no,” Cisco begged.  
  
“Why? I’d kinda like to meet this guy too, you know. And the more you refuse, the more I want to meet him to see what you’re hiding.”  
  
“I’m not hiding anything!”  
  
“Sounds like something someone who’s hiding something would say,” Dante teased. Cisco sighed dramatically.  
  
“I hate you. So frickin’ much. You are the literal worst human in the world.” Which was saying something, because Cisco knew a lot of horrible humans, meta- or otherwise.  
  
“Aww, thanks, mijo. I’m serious, though. Invite him over. It won’t be the end of the world.”  
  
Before Cisco could respond, Dante hung up. Cisco groaned loudly. He could just see his brother’s stupid smug smirk, thinking he was so clever with that trick. Thinking he got the last word. What a prick. He hated him.

  
Truthfully, Cisco was so worried because he didn’t actually have a boyfriend. He only said that he did to Dante because he was teasing him about still being single. In hindsight, he should’ve figured he would go and blab to their parents sooner or later. It still didn’t make it any better.  
All throughout the next day, his mind was running through all the possibilities of people he could ask to be his fake boyfriend. He could ask Barry. Barry was his best bro. Barry might do it. But Barry was also painfully straight, if the amount of dude’s and bro’s thrown Cisco’s way from him was any indication. And plus, Barry always had girlfriends. Or it could be Barry was actually bi or something, but he just put Cisco in the friendzone? Man, he didn’t even know. He’d have to have a talk with him about that. Wait, why did Barry’s orientation matter in the first place? It wasn’t going to be a real relationship. It was just pretend. But they’d probably have to kiss and act all couple-y to sell their little lie, and Cisco didn’t want to make Barry uncomfortable if he was straight. Cisco didn’t know too many other guys he’d be comfortable with fake dating, especially not any non-straight ones. So, the obvious choice had to be…

  
“Cisco.” Hartley said, looking at him from his workshop with an eyebrow raised. He had come to the labs to help Cisco with some tech to stop this week’s meta, but he seemed to be doing all of the work while Cisco was zoning out.  
  
“Huh?” Cisco replied dumbly, realizing that this man was his only option. Oh, god. Hartley would never let him hear the end of this…  
  
“While you were checked in at space camp, I think I made some progress here. Check it out.” He pressed a button, and the object at his desk whirred to life, emitting tiny bursts of energy that would counter the meta’s powers. Hartley couldn’t hide the proud grin on his face, until he realized Cisco had spaced out again.  
  
“Cisco.”  
  
“What?! Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that should do it. Good work…”  
  
Hartley sighed. “Cisco. What’s wrong with you? You’re nowhere near as fun to work with when you’re not trying to compete with me.”  
  
Cisco stayed quiet for a moment, and Hartley was ready to roll his eyes and brush it off, when Cisco opened his mouth to speak.  
  
“I, uh… It’s just my family…” He started, which immediately piqued Hartley’s interest. Family was still a sore spot for him, and he was vaguely aware that Cisco’s family life wasn’t the best, either. A strange sense of protectiveness washed over him, eager to make sure that everything was okay.  
  
“What about them?”  
  
“Well, uh… Heh. I might’ve told my brother I have a boyfriend, but I don’t, and I just said that I did because he was making fun of me for being single still, so he told Mamá, and now she’s saying she wants me to bring him home for dinner so the family can meet him, and it’s a big mess because I don’t know who to ask to help me out, like, I would ask Barry, but he’s so straight and I don’t want to make him uncomfortable, or he could just be friendzoning me or something, and I—“  
  
“I’ll do it.” Hartley stated, not even bothered by the prospect and without a hint of hidden intent. Cisco let out a sigh of relief, but he was a little shocked.  
  
“You will? And you won’t make fun of me for this?”  
  
“Let’s not push it,” Hartley grinned. “But yes. I’ll do it.”  
  
Cisco bit his lip and nodded. He’d take what he could get. “Thank you…”  
  
“Don’t mention it. When’s the dinner?”  
  
“I don’t actually know… Dante hung up on me before he gave me any other info.”  
  
“Well, find out. In the meantime, let’s give this device to Barry and Co., shall we?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hartley is at a safehouse with the snarts bc before he started really working with team flash he was part of the rogues and he still swings by to gossip w them sometimes

As the day ended, meta of the week locked up and beaten, Cisco finally let himself relax. Until he remembered what he had gotten himself into with Hartley. He immediately tensed up again, and the smug smirks his fellow engineer kept tossing his way weren’t making things any easier. When Hartley finally announced he was going home for the night, Cisco let out a loud sigh of relief. How was he supposed to handle Hartley and his family this weekend? Hartley smirked at him again as he was leaving, and blew him a kiss. Cisco’s face reddened.

“See you on Saturday, Cisquito,” he teased before walking out. Barry’s eyebrows shot up as he looked at Cisco.

“Is there something I should know?”

“No!” He cleared his throat. “No. Uh… He’s just messing with me… ‘Cause I told Dante I had a boyfriend, and so he told our mom, and now she wants me to bring him home so she can meet him, and I’m sure you know what the issue is there, ‘cause I don’t actually have a boyfriend. So, anyway, I was venting to Hartley about it, and he just stepped up and said that he’d be my date, and it’s just? Really stressful? I mean, I already have to deal with him enough hanging around here lately, and now I have to spend an entire Saturday with him…”

“Wait, wait. Why did you tell Dante you have a boyfriend in the first place?”

“He was makin’ fun of me, dude! Said I’d always be single ‘cause no one wants to date a boy with hair like mine and all this stuff, so I might have accidentally just… word vomited and said I had a boyfriend. And now I’m stuck with Pied Pendejo of all people as a fake date.” He groaned. Barry couldn’t help it, he had to laugh a little. Cisco huffed at him.  
“You think my suffering is funny?”

“Hilarious, actually. Yeah.” He grinned. “Man, you could’ve just asked me to be your fake date. I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Nah… It’s cool, dude.” He shrugged. “It’s just one day. How bad could it be?”

“Pretty bad, if I had to take a guess. Wouldn’t you have to kiss him and stuff? Hold hands?” Barry raised an eyebrow as Cisco’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, god… You’re right. I’m doomed.” Barry laughed again and clapped him on the back.

“You’ll make it. Just one day, remember?”

“Just one day…” Cisco repeated, nodding slowly.

He could do this.

He could do this.

He definitely could not do this.  
  


* * *

  
“Whaaaat?” Lisa pouted. “How come you got a date with Cisco quicker than I could? I hope you’re planning on sharing.”

“It isn’t an actual date.” Hartley rolled his eyes. “He just needed a favor. Believe me. He’s all yours.”

She hummed in consideration, her head cocking to the side as she looked at him knowingly. He raised an eyebrow at her. He hated that look. It made him feel vulnerable.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just seems like you were pretty eager to jump on board with it in the first place. You didn’t have to offer your help. He could’ve asked his other cute little friend, the one Lenny’s got a hardon for.” Her brother snorted from across the room, bent over some blueprints of the next building they were planning on robbing. She smirked at him and turned her attention back to Hartley.

“Listen. I only offered because he looked so hopeless, okay? You should’ve seen him babbling and getting all jumpy.” He huffed.

“Didn’t know you were such a bleeding heart, Piper.” Len called. “Seems like your boyfriend’s been rubbing off on you.” Hartley glared at him, but all he got in return was another knowing smirk.

“He isn’t my boyfriend.”

“He’s your fake boyfriend,” Lisa offered.

“Yes. He’s my _fake_ boyfriend. Not my real one.”

“That’s such a shame. He’s so cute though, isn’t he? His hair is always so nice and soft… And he’s the sweetest kid I’ve ever met in my life. He’d take a bullet for a cockroach,” Lisa gushed.

“No, he wouldn’t. He hates bugs,” Hartley interjected. “And he’s annoying. And he’s always obnoxiously eating candy.”

“How does one eat candy obnoxiously, hm?” Len questioned.

“Obviously, he means Cisco has some sort of oral fixation. I bet he sucks lollipops like he sucks dick,” Lisa replied rather nonchalantly. Hartley shifted in his seat a little. That was not something he wanted to be thinking about.

“Stop it, Lise. You’re going to give the poor kid a boner if you keep talking like that.”

“What?! No! I’m uh, I’m fine.” Hartley crossed his arms and glared at the two of them. He couldn’t let them win this one.

“Oh, please. Stop acting like you wouldn’t fuck him if you had the chance. We all would.” Lisa rolled her eyes, but ended it with a grin. “And it looks like you might be getting that chance this weekend, you lucky boy.”

“Don’t screw this up, kid. And especially don’t forget to keep us posted.” Len mirrored his sister’s expression.

Oh, Hartley was so, so screwed. In more ways than one.


End file.
